


The Missing Girl

by jibblywibbly



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Big Gay Babies, But WHO?, Daddy Issues, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Family Secrets, KH Headcanons, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Missing Persons, Multi, Particularly headcanons that went out of fucking control, Relearning Emotions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jibblywibbly/pseuds/jibblywibbly
Summary: Post KH,  kinda-probably-mega plot divergent AU, I guess?Even has vanished by the time anyone's realized he's awoken.  The remaining Apprentices find a destroyed lab and a bizarre note, and Mickey comes to investigate why the remaining records of their experimentation were sent off to Yen Sid.  There will be multiple pairings in the future, some one sided, some not.  Pairings and other characters will be added to the tags as they appear, as well as any changes in warnings or ratings.Also, everyone's still more or less struggling with having a heart again, and a few of them might snap. And by might I mean definitely, ehehe.  Forgive the shit summary it's like 4am-ish and I just had to retype a couple sections of the first chapter to fix an inconsistency.





	

Vexen, or at this point more appropriately, Even, has disappeared by the time anyone has realized he’d finally awoken.

At first, there were tears that couldn’t decide between joyous and fearful, but hours of frantic searching of the grounds at Radiant Garden proved utterly fruitless. Ienzo had found burned remains of his work, and a single note on the desk, and Aeleus gathered Dilan and Braig to search the city. It was hard - few enough weren’t terrified of Even, and for good reason after what he…what they’d all done, and there was little help. Almost a full day had past before Mickey appeared, looking utterly grave as he was met by the youngest of the Apprentices.

“Ah-huh, Master Yen-Sid got a strange package. Notes on the experiments, on what had been done to so many.. ” Mickey looked like he was about to be ill. He was so tired, so drained from literal years of war, and if this was another threat, another long battle, he didn’t know how much more his heart could take. 

Frowning, the young man held out a piece of paper, with the quick scrawl that was clearly Even’s, but in a script neither recognized. “We also found a note, presumably to us, but I can’t figure it out at all.” He shook his head, fidgeted with his bangs. 

They looked over it together, theorizing for a small while before Ienzo put the note down. “Please, wait and rest. Let me gather some help. Aeleus always understood him better.” The sick feeling seemed contagious - there had always been something off, something not quite right or real about Even from the very beginning. He loved him as a brother, and a teacher, and a friend, but he could feel the tension of old secrets struggling against whoever he’d been at Radiant Garden.  
Within two phone calls and an hour, Aeleus and Dilan had returned with Braig close behind.

“What happened?” Dilan was first to speak, pale but surprisingly rather calmer than the massive man beside him. Aeleus had his face buried deep in his hands for another moment or two - even he could only handle so much, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed, or abandoned, or something he wasn’t sure of. All he’d known was his friend woke up, and left, and said nothing, and it burned.

“Follow me.” Ienzo motioned at all three of them, urging them towards the lab. They rushed down, only to find that the cabinets and drawers of notes and records had been destroyed, ruined beyond legibility, with the core books and files gone entirely. A more careful search of the room later, and something dawns on Aeleus.

“Even gave the remaining files to Yen Sid, I’m assuming. I don’t think he wanted them to fall into the wrong hands…” There’s an uncharacteristic quiver in his voice, and his eyes are a little red. Dilan lays an arm across his shoulders, muttering a small comfort to his friend, and Ienzo goes to face Mickey. “And there’s no clue as to the note, at all?”

Mickey shook his head. “It doesn’t look like any code we’d seen before, uh-huh, not at al- ”

There’s a loud, ingeniune cough at the doorway.

“Starting the party without me, eh?” It’s Braig, having caught up to the others, waiting for an opening to speak. He looked younger, now that Xehanort’s presence was no longer a threat, and he was quite enjoying having his youth back. He sauntered over to his young friend, and snatched up the note. In all of five seconds he snorts.

“You dinguses. It’s not a code, it’s Al-Bhed. Crappy handwriting, but it’s definitely Al-Bhed script.” He looks like he’s about to crack up, but chooses not to when Aeleus looks ready to snap. He takes a breath and calms down, “All right, all right, you big lug. Even was already an anxious sonuvabitch, but having emotions back after a decade probably knocked a few more screws loose and - hey, hey! Do NOT look at me like that. We’re all dealing with it in our own ways, and frankly you’re not exactly dealing with it much bette-”

“Braig, you’re rambling, and you’re starting to piss us all off. Get to it.” Ienzo snaps, and can’t help but appreciate the grin he gets from Dilan. The gunner sighs, “We need someone who can understand Al-Bhed. That’s all. Seriously, though, Elly You never saw it in him? Looking into those big, green eyes and that so long, so pretty, blonde hair…”

As Braig waxes on in sarcastic detail about, well, Even, Aeleus just looks over at Dilan, bowing his head down a little. “Can I..?” He mutters, much more quietly. Dilan was getting really sick of the attitude as well, and drew his arm back. “You’d be doing us all a favor now, my friend.” Aeleus smiled, with a soft thanks, taking the note from Braig before landing a single, solid punch just under his good eye. “Mock me…mock him like that again, and you’ll need another eyepatch. Do you understand?”

Braig couldn’t quite understand, as he was very much unconscious and sprawled out on the floor. “This is why you don’t do snappy one-liners, Aeleus, you knock them out before they can get it.” Ienzo smiled up at him, glad for the silence as well, and patted his arm. It was really the most he could do, at his height, but he’d appreciated it nonetheless. “That girl, Rikku-”

“Riku’s not a girl, and he’s off world, Uh-huh!” Mickey said, more confused than anything as they went back up to the main entrance.

“Different person, similar name. She’s Al-Bhed as well, came from Bikadel after its destruction, and I believe I know where to find her.” As much as Ienzo tried to be a bit cooler, a bit more collected, it took him a while to realize he’d been running, with his companions following suit. “And Aeleus, if it helps in any way, Braig pissed himself when you knocked him out.” Dilan wheezed with laughter, and Aeleus simply smiled, saying, “It does. Greatly.”  
Soon enough, they find the Gullwings exploring the Ravine Trail. Before anyone can ask why on earth they’d ever want to be there, Dilan puts his fingers to his mouth and whistles sharply. Yuna, Paine, and Rikku pop their heads up like seagulls caught with someone else’s sandwich, and they mutter amongst themselves whether or not they should run.

“Miss, ah..Rikku, can we ask you for your help?” Dilan tries to put on the charm a little, and as much as Yuna seems to appreciate it, Paine rolls her eyes as Rikku practically bounces forward. She crosses her arms behind her head, “What’s in it for us? Treasure, adventure?” Dilan smirks, and motions to Ienzo to hold out the note. “Our gratitude, and any favors you may need from us. Our friend disappeared, and this note is the only clue we have. Rikku, you are only other person from Bikadel we know of, on this world, and if you can read what this says, we can-”

“I got you, I got you. Jeesh, this handwriting sucks!” Rikku whines, to their amusement - at least they could be sure of one thing today, and that was that Even’s handwriting was abysmal. She sits down on a rather convenient rock as Paine and Yuna crowd around her. “Let’s see… alright. I think I got it. You guys listening?”  
The men are deathly quiet, and Aeleus nods slowly.

 _“My friends,_  
_I cannot simply allow what I have done to happen again. I will not let our discoveries, our experiments, our crimes, most of all mine, be used for dark purposes ever again. Please forgive the mess I had left - but I’m sure you will understand why. Now, I need to find the other girl. I need to find,”_  
Rikku pauses, and whatever sass and spark she had before is replaced with something soft, and somber.

“He…he said he’s going to find his daughter, and make sure that this…professor guy will never touch her? I’m not sure I understand, but that’s all it says. I think the professor’s name was something like, Hoho, but it’s hard to read.” Rikku frowns, and hands the paper to Ienzo again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.” Dilan immediately goes to her, and gives her shoulder a promising squeeze, “You’ve been more of a help than you can imagine. Thank you, Rikku, for doing this for us. We need to go now, but should you girls ever need somewhere or someone, you know where to find us.” She seems a little more comforted by this, and quickly goes back to foraging and exploring with her friends. As they leave, Dilan turns to Aeleus. “Did…did you know?”

“…No. I didn’t.” Aeleus looks like he’d been ready to break a week ago - playing stoic for so long after finally regaining his heart was clearly no longer working, and especially not helping. “I do, ah, know who the professor is. It’s Hojo. He’s his..ah, his father.” Aeleus keeps walking, and a simultaneous "WHAT?“ that felt more like a curse came from Mickey, Ienzo, and Dilan all at once.

Aeleus sighs, and keeps walking, "Yes, Hojo is his father, no, he did not like to talk about it, and yes, Sephiroth is his brother. Half brother.”

“So, ah-huh, what’s next? Do we talk to Sephiroth, or..” Mickey scratches his head as he catches up with Dilan.

“I don’t think we should. He’d probably have half of us skewered before anyone could get a word out, and if Even is trying to hide something, or someone, from Hojo, the last thing he’d need is us tipping him off.” Ienzo has to jog a little after everyone else - the mouse was quick, and Dilan and Aeleus kept stomping back to Hollow Bastion. 

“Any, huff, suggestions?” He wheezes a little.

Dilan grunts, and Aeleus slows down enough to walk alongside Ienzo. “He’s not subtle, there should be more clues in the lab, or his room, as to where he’s looking, or who the girl is.”

“You mean it wasn’t Rikku?” Dilan says, quirking a brow. 

“No, he’d’ve said something, and I knew he was looking for a girl a long time ago. I think she’d be a couple years older, too. He hadn’t had a woman since..” Aeleus trails off muttering again. Too much talking, too much thinking, too many revelations he really couldn’t fucking handle right now.

“Whoa, whoa. Wait, if…if Even’s an Al-Bhed, how can he use magic?” Ienzo asks as they reach the door.

“He’s only half, technically, but he didn’t use it all that much until we lost our hearts. I still wouldn’t rule anything out, now.” Dilan follows suit, and they all choose to ignore the audible whining and cursing they can hear in a far off room. Braig, apparently, woke back up. Ienzo, ever watchful, takes a proper look at the rest of the group.

“Dilan and I will begin searching the lab again. Mickey, you’re welcome to join us, but I believe you and Aeleus should both rest a while.” There is nothing but concern in the young man’s face, and Mickey accepts the reprieve. Aeleus looks almost ready to pop a vein, but clearly can’t bring himself to lash out against Ienzo no matter how maddening the situation was.

“Aeleus, please.” Ienzo takes his hand in both of his and squeezes, “I’m asking this of you as a friend. You’ll only serve to make yourself ill if you keep at this pace with this much worry. Please, rest. I’ll search his room with you in a few hours, alright?” Aeleus takes a long, slow breath. “Okay. Okay.” The smaller one smiles gently as his friend walks off. It’s kind of nice, he realizes, having Aeleus rely on him for once, instead of the other way around. “And Mickey, we have plenty of extra rooms. You’ve come a long way, after all.” He says, fairly exhausted himself, and directs a very gratious mouse to the proper hall.

With that, Ienzo and Dilan disappear into the lab, and begin their search.


End file.
